


Heart as Big as the City

by steelwater



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Football, Alternate Universe - Soccer, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, EFL Cup, EPL, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Football, Football | Soccer, Hand Jobs, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oral Sex, Soccer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-24
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-17 02:52:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8127586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steelwater/pseuds/steelwater
Summary: Football AU.John Watson spent his entire career at Bakerpool FC. He is the beloved captain of the club and has won every title - except for the league title.As a new season is about to embark Sherlock Holmes, a young, rude, full of himself, but brilliant, striker joins the club and changes John's life.The title is taken from the song Heart As Big As Liverpool by The Mighty WAH! A big thank you to bakerstreetactivist for betaing this.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cchenyaa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cchenyaa/gifts).



"Shelton passes to Dembelle, who passes to Livermore. Livermore shoots! But it goes wide. Taylor walks slowly to take the ball from outside the line. He takes his time. He kicks the ball and… the referee has blown the whistle. 1-0 Bakerpool. Paul Peter’s team finishes the season in third place with 64 points, 3 points behind Manchester United in first. Another trophy-less season for the boys in red."

When John Watson heard the final whistle, he lifted his arms and let out a breathy "yes". The match was tough but they managed to keep their lead and jump to third place. As in the last five seasons, Bakerpool spent most of the season in the top four, fighting to win the league, but ultimately failed to do so.

It had been 25 years since Bakerpool last won the league and every player in the team felt the pressure, but not many as much as John – Blackpool’s captain for the last 10 years. John was a renowned football player and a regular on the English national team. He won every possible thing with Bakerpool, but never the league. He was often referred to as one of the best footballers to never win the Premier League, not a title he enjoyed.

John walked around Bakerpool’s home stadium, The Yard, stopping at every side to applaud the supporters. Eventually he reached the tunnel and went down it with a sigh. 

The dressing room was quiet; the team had been so close to winning the league this season, more so than in the last few seasons, and the frustration was clear in his teammates' faces.

Paul Johnson, the manager, gathered them around the dressing room and gave them a pep talk. He told them that he was proud of them and that next season would be their season. They applauded him and went on with their business.

Preseason would start in July and no international tournament that year, so John would have a long time to rest and recuperate himself before the next season would start. He was not young anymore, he did not have many more years to play in a top flight club and he wanted to win the league with Bakerpool almost more than anything else in the world.

The summer rolled on slowly and John was aching to play again when the first friendly game arrived. Bakerpool won 1-0, with one of the signing scoring the goal. John was quite happy with the new players, but he thought that the club was missing a killer striker. Tom Hucherfield and Matat Adubu were great, but they needed someone extraordinary, someone who would give the club a push, and so far, there were no words about a new striker from the manager.

And then, at the beginning of August, the manager told them that they had landed Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes was a 25-year-old English striker who signed to Baker Street from Leeds United. He helped Leeds get promoted to the EPL, scoring 28 goals and ending the season as the top scorer of the second league. At his young age, he had already played for six different clubs. While being a brilliant player, he was also a lousy teammate. He got himself a name of a troublemaker and an all-round pain in the arse.

Still, Paul took the chance with him. Sometimes geniuses have a touch of crazy to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> EPL - English Premier League. It's the top league in England


	2. Chapter 2

Before the first training session of the season the manager took the players into the dressing room at Bakerpool’s training facility and introduced them to Sherlock. He was the last player to arrive at the club, and by the time he arrived the rest of the players were already quite familiar with each other.

When it was John's turn to shook Sherlock's hand he told the younger man that he could come to him with any question or problem, something which he has done with every player who have joined the club since he became the captain. John was very proud of being the captain and took it very seriously.

Sherlock looked him up and down, a small smile forming on his face, and nodded.

"Thank you. Looking forward to playing with you, captain." He said, the word captain swirling on his tongue like honey.

John cleared his throat, not sure if Sherlock was flirting with him or if it was only in his imagination. "Me too." He said, forcing a smile

Greg Lestrade, a defensive midfielder who joined the club two years earlier and was one of John's best friends in the team, came up to him and told him that he used to play with Sherlock at Nottingham Forest.

“This lad is something else. He’s brilliant on the pitch. But, he’s a complete wanker. Nobody liked him at Forest. I managed to half get along with him; he once told me that I was not as brainless as the rest of them. A bloody sociopath with a killer right foot.”

John listened to Lestrade while looking at Sherlock. He was introducing himself to the rest of the players with such formally and distance that he could see what Lestrade was talking about.

But Sherlock was not his biggest problem. He had much more on his plate as the captain of the club and he was sure Paul could handle Sherlock by himself.

~~~

The days were moving slowly for John and he was aching to get back on the pitch. When the day of the first match of the season finally arrived, John was itching with impatience. Bakerpool's first match was against Hull City at Hull’s home stadium. A mid-table team, but you should always be wary of those. They could bite you in the asre and then defend for the rest of the 90 minutes.

At 1:55pm John was standing in the tunnel, his captain’s armband wrapped around his left arm and the rest of the players from his team standing behind him, stretching, jumping, talking to their rivals or just standing quietly with a stony look on their faces. John was clenching and unclenching his fists, his eyes looking down at the fresh, green pitch.

As he heard the roar of the crowd he could feel the blood pumping in his veins. He stretched and took a deep breath. The announcer was reading the names of the players and then came the queue to go outside. John stepped out of the tunnel and onto the pitch with the resolution to, as always, give the club everything he has got.  
~~~  
The match ended with a 3-0 win for Bakerpool, with Sherlock scoring the first goal. The Bakerpool crowd went mad over the new striker scoring in his first match. The spirits were high in the dressing room. The players were laughing, hugging, and patting each other on the back. John was sitting on a bench, soaking it all in. He was exhausted but chuffed.

Almost always after an important win the lads would go out together to a pub. John approached the new players and told them about the tradition and they were all happy to go. Except for Sherlock.

"I'll pass. I don't do boys nights out." He said, flipping his hand dismissively.

"Come on, it's the first match of the season, and we won. I'll buy you a round." John said with a smile.

"No, thank you." Sherlock turned around and walked toward his locker.

John stared at Sherlock's back. He considered trying again but decided to leave him be. Sherlock probably didn’t feel like part of the team yet. He would eventually join in, John thought to himself.

Things seemed to be connecting for the team, Bakerpool won their next two matches, but then dove into a mediocrity of soulless 0-0 draws and small 1-0 victories. And Sherlock was not hitting the target. The first few games seemed like a distant dream.

On the tenth round Bakerpool had a home game against Bolton, which were at the bottom of the table. Bakerpool dominated the first half of the match until they conceded a goal from a counter attack just before half time. They bombarded Bolton during the second half but the ball just would not get into the net.

"Holmes, pass! Pass!" John shouted to Sherlock, who, for the umpteenth time, tried to go through Bolton's thick defense on his own instead of passing the ball. Sherlock tried to shoot from a far and the ball flew high over the net. John cursed quietly and ran back to his own half.  
The match ended with Bolton winning 1-0.

It always frustrated John to play against a team that scored a goal and then defended for the rest of the match, but he was mostly frustrated with Sherlock. The guy wanted to score so much that he ignored his teammates. With more passing, maybe Bakerpool could have won the game.

After a harsh talk by the manager the players left as quickly as they could. Sherlock, who looked very frustrated and like he would burst into flames at any moment, took a long shower to calm his nerves. John took his time as well so he could talk to Sherlock after everyone else has left.

~~~

Turning off the water, Sherlock draped a towel over his waist and walked out of the cubical. He saw that the dressing room was empty apart for him and John, who was standing in the middle of it with his arms folded over his chest. Sherlock made a bee-line towards his locker, ignoring John.  
"What were the bloody hell you thinking out there today?"

Sherlock did not answer.

John continued while Sherlock got dressed, "When I tell you to pass, you pass."

Sherlock snorted.

"This isn’t a joke, Sherlock."

"In all of those instances I had a better chance of scoring."

"And yet you didn't. This is a team sport in case you had forgotten."

Sherlock turned to face him. "Oh please, don't throw some banal, tedious phrases at me. If I have a chance on goal – I take it.”

John bristled, getting closer to Sherlock. "Don't forget for a second that I'm your captain. Don't pull that shit again or I'll make Peters bench you. I don't care how good a player you are. You are an arrogant, selfish git, and you will sit on the bench if you don’t start acting more like you’re a part of a team." John was now inches away from Sherlock's face, his hands clenched tightly beside him.

Sherlock looked at John's face, his eyes searching. He stared into John's eyes, his lips, and then he grabbed John by his shirt and pulled him closer, crashing their lips together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> There are 38 rounds in a season. Each team plays all the other teams home and away. 
> 
> A win - 3 points.  
> A draw - 1 point.  
> A loss - no points.


	3. Chapter 3

For a few seconds, John just stared at Sherlock; but then, he quickly pulled away as the ability to form coherent thoughts came back to him.

"What the bloody hell, Sherlock?" John said, furiously.

Sherlock did not speak, but looked at John intently. This was madness. John decided to move away from their as quickly as possible but his legs refused to listen to him. While he was inwardly shouting at himself to leave, he found himself shoving Sherlock onto the lockers behind him instead.

Sherlock smiled. He pulled John closer and kiss him again, biting his lower lip. John opened his mouth and let Sherlock’s tongue dart in, meeting his own. It was a furious war between the two of them, all the tension and anger melting into that kiss.

John felt Sherlock's hand grabbing him through his trousers and he moaned into the striker's mouth. It had been so long since someone had touched him that way, and all coherent thoughts went out of his head.

Quickly, while still kissing him, Sherlock undid the button and zipper on John's trousers and shoved his hand down John’s pants. He closed it around John's cock and started stroking, slowly and gently. After a while he tightened his hold and picked up the pace.

John leaned his head on Sherlock's shoulder and moaned loudly. He hadn't felt so good in a long time. So free of thoughts and stress. It had been a long time since his last sexual encounter, and Sherlock knew well what he was doing.

"Oh, fuck." John breathed, not able to think past Sherlock’s hand. He felt his head being pulled up and his lips crashing into Sherlock’s big, soft ones. John kissed Sherlock hungrily while rocking his hips.

It didn't take long. After a few more strokes John felt his body tense as he came into Sherlock’s hand.

John was coming off his high, still not very much focused, when, like a hurricane, leaving destruction in its wake, Sherlock pulled his hand quickly out of John’s pants, grabbed a towel, wiped it, threw it away, and walked out of the locker room without a word.

John thought dimly that Sherlock had not said a word during the whole encounter.

He leaned on the lockers, trying to catch his breath. The situation downing on him, he closed his eyes and rubbed his face furiously with both his hands.

"Fuck.”

**Author's Note:**

> Glossary:
> 
> EPL - English Premier League. It's the top league in England


End file.
